meteoroid

views updated May 08 2018

meteoroid Small, extraterrestrial body, within the solar system, that may enter the Earth's atmosphere if its orbit around the Sun crosses that of the Earth. Strictly, at the point where a meteoroid enters the atmosphere it is referred to as a meteor; if it reaches the Earth's surface it is known as a meteorite.

A Dictionary of Earth Sciences AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY

meteoroid

views updated May 14 2018

me·te·or·oid / ˈmētēəˌroid/ • n. Astron. a small body moving in the solar system that would become a meteor if it entered the earth's atmosphere.DERIVATIVES: me·te·o·roid·al / ˌmētēəˈroidl/ adj.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

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